AGENDA:

1. Opening session

- addresses: Mr Francisco Javier ROJO GARCĺA, Speaker of theSpanishSenado,and Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE, Chairperson of the SpanishCortesGeneralesJoint Committee for the European Union

2. Adoption of the agenda of the Chairpersons’ meeting, the draft agenda of the XLIII

COSAC and the Outline of the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report

3. COSAC procedural questions and miscellaneous matters

4. The economic crisis –

guest speaker: Mr Carlos OCAÑA PÉREZ DE TUDELA,Secretary of State for Finance and the Budget

5. Priorities of the Spanish Presidency

– guest speaker: Mr Miguel ÁngelMORATINOS CUYAUBÉ, Minister for Foreign Affairs and InternationalDevelopment

PROCEEDINGS:

IN THE CHAIR: Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE, Chairperson of the SpanishCortesGeneralesJoint Committee for the European Union.

1. Opening session

Mr Francisco Javier ROJO GARCÍA, Speaker of the SpanishSenado,declared opened themeeting with a statement on the importance of the role and responsibility given to all EUparliaments by the Treaty of Lisbon. National Parliaments could now take part in thelegislative process at the EU level with all their political weight and, in doing so,significantly reduce the democratic deficit, increase citizens' participation and contribute tothe 'parliamentarisation' of the EU. The Speaker also underlined that new cooperationmechanisms between national Parliaments and the European Parliament would have to be setup and that COSAC faced a challenging task in defining its own future role. The Speakermentioned the following new areas of parliamentary oversight: the area of freedom, security,and justice, the future review of the Treaties, notification of applications for accession to theUnion, monitoring and evaluation of the activities of Europol and Eurojust and control of thesubsidiarity principle.In his address, Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE, Chairperson of the SpanishCortes GeneralesJoint Committee for the European Union, welcomed all participants and in particular thosewho attended the COSAC Chairpersons’ Meeting for the first time.

2. Adoption of the agenda of the Chairpersons’ meeting, the draft agenda of the XLIII

COSAC and the Outline of the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report

Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE suggested adopting the draft agendas of the COSACChairpersons’ Meeting and of the XLIII COSAC Meeting together with the Outline of theThirteenth Bi-annual Report as one single package.1

Mr Herman DE CROO, Co-Chairperson of the Federal Advisory Committee on EuropeanAffairs of the Belgian Parliament, suggested attaching the article “Evolution of COSAC overthe last 20 years” to the COSAC questionnaire for the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report. This wasagreed.Mr Pierre LEQUILLER, Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs of the FrenchAssemblée nationale,recommended that COSAC did not limit itself to legal matters, such asoversight of the application of the principle of subsidiarity. He therefore suggested thatCOSAC organize meetings between rapporteurs of national Parliaments and the EuropeanParliament to discuss the substance of a few selected proposals. He considered this as acapital new role for COSAC. Possibly modern mean of communication, such as video-conferences, could be used. Mr LEQUILLER mentioned, as an example, the successfulmeeting on 26 January 2010 of the Committee on European Affairs of the FrenchAssembléenationaleand the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection of the EuropeanParliament on the proposal of a Directive on Consumer Rights. On the suggestion of MrARIAS CAÑETE it was agreed that a few questions relating to this should be included in thequestionnaire for the Thirteenth COSAC Bi-annual Report and that Mr LEQUILLER wouldforward his suggestions to the Presidency in this regard.During the debate it was put forward that while COSAC should debate its role, it should alsobe borne in mind that a consultation process had been launched on the IPEX website for theEU Speakers Conference in advance of its meeting 14-15 May 2010. Preparations for theXLIII COSAC should be coordinated with that Conference. During the debate other ideaswere put forward, including the improvement of national accountability of EU funds, the useof COSAC for exchanging information and best practices on matters other than draftlegislation, such as the involvement of citizens in EU affairs, and monitoring of the area offreedom, security and justice.Mr ARIAS CAÑETE said that, following an agreement at the Meeting of the PresidentialTroika the previous day, he would propose the following modifications to the draft agendafor the XLIII COSAC Meeting:31 May 2010:- the Political families’ meetings would start at 8.00 instead of at 8.30- Mr Per WESTERBERG, Speaker of the SwedishRiksdagand currentlyholding the Presidency of the EU Speakers’ Conference, should be invited toaddress the meeting on the results of that Conference in Stockholm on 14 and15 May 2010.1 June 2010:- the number of guest speakers on the agenda point “The new model forrelations between the national Parliaments and the European Parliament afterthe entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon” should be extended to includetwo Members of national Parliaments representing the socialist and liberalpolitical families in order to better reflect the overall political balance of thespeakers.

3. COSAC Procedural questions and miscellaneous matters

Update on the subsidiarity check on the Report for a Regulation of the European Parliamentand of the Council on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisionsand authentic instruments in matters of succession and the creation of a EuropeanCertificate of Succession.Mr Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE reviewed the Secretariat’s note on this subsidiarity check andinformed that the full report would be presented to the XLIII COSAC Meeting.Mr Herman DE CROO, Co-Chairperson of the Belgian Federal Advisory Committee onEuropean Affairs of the Belgian Parliament, suggested that it would be of interest to verifyhow national Parliaments reach their decisions regarding the application of the principle ofsubsidiarity. On the proposal of Mr ARIAS CAÑETE, it was agreed to add this question tothe questionnaire for the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report.Proposal for academic research cooperation with COSACBased on an agreement at the meeting of the Presidential Troika the previous day, Mr ARIASCAÑETE proposed to suggest cooperation between those academics and the EuropeanUniversity Institute in Florence. This proposal was adopted.Invitation of special guestsMr ARIAS CAÑETE informed that the Presidential Troika at its meeting the previous dayhad agreed that the IcelandicAlþingishould be invited, given that Iceland would mostprobably be granted candidate country status before the XLIII COSAC Meeting. On the otherhand, the Presidential Troika suggested not to invite COSAP to the XLIII COSAC Meetinggiven that the agenda for that meeting did not include a point referring to the Balkans. Theseproposals were adopted.Letters received by the PresidencyMr Michael CONNARTY, Chairperson of the European Scrutiny Committee of the UKHouse of Commons,presented his letter, saying that his intention was to make colleaguesaware of the possible interpretation of some provisions of the Treaty of Lisbon that couldlimit the scope of the new powers granted to national Parliaments by the Treaty. Thisinterpretation could be changed only if most EU parliaments were to form a joint position onthe matter. On the proposal of Mr ARIAS CAÑETE it was agreed to include a question onthis in the COSAC questionnaire, with a view to following it up at the next meeting ofCOSAC.

4. The economic crisis –

guest speaker: Mr Carlos OCAÑA PÉREZ DE TUDELA,Secretary of State for Finance and the BudgetThe guest speaker, Mr OCAÑA PÉREZ DE TUDELA, addressed the COSAC Chairpersonsby underlining the importance of the immediate tasks for the Spanish Presidency, with regardto the current economic situation in Europe and to the implementation of the Treaty of

Lisbon. The Secretary of State underlined that these circumstances create not only majorchallenges for the Presidency, but also opportunities. The Secretary of State highlighted thecauses of the current economic crises, which he said was caused by circumstances outsideEurope, but had an immediate impact on our part of the world. The Secretary of State statedthat we should see some improvement in 2010. However, it would take a long time forEurope to recover, regardless of the sizeable efforts at the EU level to prevent the worseningof the crisis, both within the EU and the G20. He underlined that the recovery was still veryweak; therefore the so-called exit strategies for withdrawal of fiscal stimuli must be put inplace at the right time. The governments should not forget about the economic situation inthe long term; both actions on short and long terms being necessary, and all Member Statesmust be aware of the requisite structural reforms.The Secretary of the State continued his speech by underlining the importance of achievingsizeable results in the area of employment. He stated that the EU had not achieved its goalswith regard to the Lisbon Strategy and underlined the value of a new EU2020 strategy. Hereferred to the speech given by the Spanish President of the Government Mr José LuisRODRÍGUEZ ZAPATERO at the European Parliament on 20 January 2010, in which thePresident of the Government presented the Spanish position on the EU2020 strategy,including binding goals.In the ensuing debate the importance of reinforced financial supervision, promotion ofEuropean companies’ competitiveness, reform of the labour market and reinforced socialprotection measures were highlighted. In view of the current economic downturn, theparticipants called for fiscal consolidation, reduction of public debt and ensuring compliancewith the Stability and Growth Pact by 2013. Fiscal austerity was a difficult task, butaccording to the participants, it was absolutely essential if Europe was to rise to thechallenges of the day.The debate also highlighted the importance of the new EU post-Lisbon strategy, whichshould be created around innovation, research and education. Also, a strong cohesion policyneeded to be maintained, closing the enduring gap between Member States and striving fortheir real convergence. According to participants, the common goal was economic stabilityand economic growth.

5. Priorities of the Spanish Presidency

– guest speaker: Mr Miguel Ángel MORATINOSCUYAUBÉ, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International DevelopmentMr Miguel Ángel MORATINOS CUYAUBÉ, Minister for Foreign Affairs and InternationalDevelopment, presented the priorities of the Spanish Presidency. He underlined that one ofthe main concerns during this semester would be the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon,especially regarding the new EU institutions and the role of national Parliaments. While onthe institutional level, he referred to the future creation of the European External ActionService; on the legislative level he mentioned matters such as the citizens' legislativeinitiative and the legal personality of the EU. Even if the priority for the Spanish Presidencywill be dealing with the economic crisis, he focused on the external policies of the EuropeanUnion. In this matter, he distinguished three areas of interest. Firstly, concerning theenlargement of the EU, negotiations were being held, at different paces, with Croatia, Turkeyand the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; while in the case of Iceland, the opinion ofthe Commission was needed in order to start negotiations. Secondly, he referred to the issue

of neighbourhood, where the Presidency's priority lays with the Mediterranean countries.Thirdly, The Minister referred to the role of Europe as a global actor. He stressed thesignificantly good relationship between the EU and the United States, which was beingtranslated into a reinforced cooperation on several key issues. A privileged relationship willalso be fostered during the Spanish Presidency with Latin America and the Caribbean. Healso pointed out the main areas of negotiation with other areas of interest such as Russia andAfrica.The Minister affirmed that the main characteristic of this Spanish Presidency was the factthat it raises high expectations, while at the same time it was expected to act modestly, inorder to respect the role of the new President of the European Council and the HighRepresentative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.The Minister's intervention was followed by a debate divided into two parts. The first set ofquestions referred to such issues as the approach of the European Union’s external policy inthe present pessimistic atmosphere; the Spanish Presidency's position on the issue of climatechange in the aftermath of the Copenhagen Summit; the Minister's opinion on FRONTEXand the Palestinian conflict; the inclusion of European citizens in the EU policies and theproject of a single energy market. In his answers to these questions, the Minister defined therelationship with the United States as very positive, and at the same time insisted on the needfor a single and independent European voice on the international scene. The Minister alsoconsidered FRONTEX as a significant issue and announced that the Spanish Presidencywould promote a pilot project where all Member States would support Malta regardingimmigration issues, given the difficult conditions this particular country had to endure in thisrespect. He insisted on the crucial role that the EU could play in the Palestinian conflict,where an important solidarity effort was needed. Finally, he agreed with the views expressedon citizens' inclusion in EU affairs and pointed out the progress he expected to be achievedwithin the Union for the Mediterranean, despite the complications that this area entailed.In the second set of questions, the Minister was asked about the Turkish-Cypriot conflict; theEuropean aid policy in Africa; the proposal of body scans at airport security controls;Turkey’s accession to the EU; the prospect of Moldova's accession to the EU; the criteria ofabsorption as a condition for any further enlargement of the EU and the conflict in theMiddle East. In his answers to those questions, the Minister emphasized the relevance of theEastern neighbourhood policy; he agreed on the need to reformulate cooperation policy inAfrica, focusing on development; he also shared the opinion on the need for a balancedsolution to the issue of body scans. He recommended that the absorption criteria for newaccessions to the EU to be interpreted in a flexible manner and, finally, he expected the EUto continue to play a key role in the resolution of the conflict in the Middle East.

MINUTES OF THE COSAC CHAIRPERSONS’ MEETING

Madrid, 5 February 2010

AGENDA:

1. Opening session

2. Adoption of the agenda of the Chairpersons’ meeting, the draft agenda of the XLIII

COSAC and the Outline of the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report

3. COSAC procedural questions and miscellaneous matters

4. The economic crisis –

5. Priorities of the Spanish Presidency

PROCEEDINGS:

1. Opening session

2. Adoption of the agenda of the Chairpersons’ meeting, the draft agenda of the XLIII

COSAC and the Outline of the Thirteenth Bi-annual Report

3. COSAC Procedural questions and miscellaneous matters

4. The economic crisis –

5. Priorities of the Spanish Presidency